The invention relates to a magnifying glass with an attached screwdriver tool. More particularly, the invention relates to a magnifying glass which supports a screwdriver, and maintains the tip in the optical field of the magnifying glass.
As manufacturing techniques improve, electronic miniaturization progresses, and material strengths increase, more and more everyday items are assembled using miniature screws. Eyeglasses are perhaps one of the most popular products which feature these miniature screws. Typically, each earpiece is held to the frame with a miniature screw. This screw often loosens, and eventually falls out, requiring replacement.
Thankfully, what were once called "jewler's screwdrivers" are now present in almost every household. Unfortunately, although we might have the tools for the repairing task, we cannot always see the workpiece well enough to perform the needed operation. Ironically, when working on a pair of eyeglasses, the workpiece is the very item which would help one better see the task that must be performed. To further compound the difficulty of performing this task, it is quite obvious that the very people that need eyeglasses tend to have the worst vision, and thus have the most difficulty fixing their eyeglasses.
To aid in performing this task, one might attempt to use a magnifying lens to view the workpiece. However, the magnifying lens requires one hand to hold it. The screwdriver requires another hand. Thus, unless a vise is handy to hold the workpiece, it is not usually possible to use a magnifying glass along with the screwdriver.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,261 to Tsai discloses a combined screwdriver and magnifying glass. The magnifying lens in Tsai is coaxial with the screwdriver. Thus, to effectively see through the manifying glass, one would have to align their eye directly beyind the handle of the screwdriver--obscuring the view of the workpiece. Further, it does not seem clear that that the device of Tsai is optically feasible.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.